Return from Exile: Introduction (2)

Pray Psalm 106.6-12.
We have sinned with our fathers,
We have committed iniquity,
We have done wickedly.
Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders;
They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies,
But rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea.
Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake,
That He might make His mighty power known.
He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up;
So He led them through the depths,
As through the wilderness.
He saved them from the hand of him who hated them,
And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
The waters covered their enemies;
There was not one of them left.
Then they believed His words;
They sang His praise.

Sing Psalm 106.6-12, 48.
(Trust in Jesus: ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus)
We have sinned, just like our fathers; we have done iniquity.
Just like them, our hearts have wandered; we have acted wickedly.
Refrain v. 48
Blessèd be our God and Savior, evermore His praise proclaim!
Let all those who know Your favor praise Your holy, glorious Name!

For Your love we have forgotten; we rebelled against Your grace.
Yet You save us by Your power, make us stand before Your face.
Refrain

Read 2 Kings 25.1-21; meditate on verses 18-21.

Preparation
1. What happened to the religious leaders of Jerusalem and Judah?

2. What happened to the nation as a whole?

Meditation
The collapse, conquest, and captivity of Judah did not happen all at once. Like all tragedies, it developed gradually. The northern nation of Israel, unfaithful to God from the beginning of its days, was conquered by Assyria in the 8^th century BC. The people and leaders of Judah, the southern kingdom, would have another 150 years to think about what happened to Israel, why it happened, and how they might avoid that same fate.

Despite the warnings and preaching of faithful prophets like Micah and Isaiah, and even though God brought seasons of revival to Judah under such kings as Hezekiah and Josiah, by the time of King Zedekiah, God’s patience with Judah’s fickle, feckless faith had run its course.

The people of Judah saw the results of unfaithfulness in the plight of Israel.

Just so, Bible-believing Christians in our day have seen—and sometimes gloated over—the collapse of liberal Christianity and its complete captivity to worldly values and ways. As J. Gresham Machen pointed out in his book, Christianity and Liberalism, there was much to admire in the liberalism that swept through mainline churches throughout the 20^th century. But because they abandoned true Christianity, God abandoned them to their worldly ways, and the people abandoned the world-captive churches in droves.

God delivered the evangelical churches from the fate of liberal churches. But the materialism, relativism, and worldly ways that sank liberal churches are creeping, unrecognized (Francis Schaeffer), into putative Bible-believing churches today. We are becoming mired in a captivity of our own, and, as our numbers decline and our influence for the Kingdom wanes, we must wonder where this will lead.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land” (2 Kgs. 25.21).

“He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just,
both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD” (Prov. 17.15).

“An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked:

There is no fear of God before his eyes” (Ps. 36.1).

And thus, with some extra details of wickedness, this was how Judah was taken captive by their enemies. 

What about the Church today? How is it being carried away captive?
Could it be a lack of attention to sin?
Could the Church be turning a blind eye to wickedness within its own ranks?
Could the pastors be more concerned about keeping people in the pews than about preaching the truth?
Are the parishioners looking for a fun, happy place to be? A place not willing or eager to cramp their lifestyle?
Has everyone forgotten about taking up their cross daily and following Jesus Christ?
Is anyone hungry and thirsty to read the Word of God and to know Him? Pastor or Parishioner?
How about time praying, praising, thanking, and loving Him?
Does anyone fear God?

“Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away” (Heb. 2.1).
“For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” Or as stated in the NU and M-Texts “…did not profit them, since they were not united by faith with those who heeded it” (Heb. 4.2).

If we do not heed and obey God’s Word…we must wonder: Where will this lead?

For reflection
1. Why were the people of Judah taken away captive to Babylon?

2. Captive to disobedience, neglect of God’s Word, and their calling to be holy, God allowed His people to be swallowed up for a time by a foreign culture. Can you see any parallels between Judah’s situation and that of the Church today?

3. What about us? How do we as individuals begin to “drift” from our great salvation? What can we expect if we do not repent and return to the Lord?

The city and temple were burnt, and, it is probable, the ark in it. By this, God showed how little he cares for the outward pomp of his worship, when the life and power of religion are neglected. The walls of Jerusalem were thrown down, and the people carried captive to Babylon. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on 2 Kings 25.8-21

Pray Psalm 106.44-48.
Pray that God will revive you day by day, and that He will revive His Church all over the world. Pray that we may shake our captivity to worldly ways and seek the pure meat and drink of the Word of God.

Sing Psalm 106.6-44-48.
(Trust in Jesus: ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus)
Look upon us, Lord, with favor, see us in our sore distress!
Hear our cries, with love surround us – turn again to heal and bless
Refrain v. 48
Blessèd be our God and Savior, evermore His praise proclaim!
Let all those who know Your favor praise Your holy, glorious Name!

Save us, Lord, from every nation; gather us from all our ways.
And we to Your Name will offer glorious thanks and endless praise!
Refrain

T. M. and Susie Moore

We are convinced that this new study, Return from Exile, will be one of the most important we have done. We encourage you to share this installment with friends. Use the icons at the top of this column to encourage your friends to join you in this study.

Two books can help us understand our own captivity and lead us to seek revival and renewal in the Lord. The Church Captive asks us to consider the ways the Church today has become captive to the world. And Revived! can help us find the way to renewal. Learn more and order your free copies by clicking here and here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available free by clicking here.